Pennsylvania’s ‘Golden Age’
In a historic moment for our commonwealth and the country, President Trump, sitting beside our esteemed Senator Dave McCormick and prominent tech and energy leaders, announced a record $90 billion in investments right here in Pennsylvania.
As the Senator so truthfully articulated during the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, “Not since the days of Andrew Carnegie has so much economic power gathered in one Pittsburgh room.”
This summit, held just six months after the Senator had been sworn in, is an illustration of the new momentum we’re seeing due to the transformed landscape in Washington: Pennsylvania is ready to unleash our energy innovation, and our federal government is ready to embrace bottom-up solutions to improve our economic prosperity.
Americans for Prosperity Pennsylvania’s taxpayer activists couldn’t be more thrilled.
The common theme of Senator McCormick’s energy summit was the need to turn the page from top-down, stifling Washington control of our energy sector to an era where red tape is removed, allowing innovation to be at the forefront of energy policy. What a welcome change!
Through comprehensive permitting reform, we can restore our commonwealth’s economic prosperity. The American Dream is only possible with reliable energy that’s affordable and abundant. But energy regulations previously imposed by Washington are delaying projects and driving up costs — barriers that ultimately make energy, as well as the American Dream, more expensive for us all. Energy abundance and lower prices at the pump are possible if we demand energy permitting reform. Harrisburg would be remiss to not take cues from leaders in Washington who are working tirelessly to remove the permitting barriers that hold us back.
At the summit, there was a resounding enthusiasm for the United States to lead with respect to the booming Artificial Intelligence industry. AI is a remarkable tool—one that can and should be used to further human progress. AI offers transformative benefits across health care, education, transportation, and the broader economy. But these benefits can only be realized if we allow innovation to flourish, rather than strangle it with premature or heavy-handed government regulation.
As such, states would be wise to embrace bottom-up approaches to innovation. Rather than sweeping regulatory regimes with broad definitions that capture many technologies, not just AI, we advocate for state-led experimentation. Two state have gotten it right, and should serve as national models that we believe other states should consider implementing.
First is Montana’s Right to Compute Act, which protects individuals’ and businesses’ ability to use AI and computational tools without undue interference by the government. By establishing a clear right to innovate, the state sends a strong message that progress and personal freedom go hand in hand. There’s also Utah’s AI Learning Lab and Regulatory Sandbox, which provides a safe environment for innovators to test and refine AI applications while working collaboratively with policymakers. This model of learning-by-doing is a powerful alternative to top-down mandates and reflects the best of America’s entrepreneurial spirit.
As we enter the Golden Age of energy innovation, Harrisburg should wisely take cues from our new composition in Washington. The path to prosperity is paved by human progress—not government-imposed regulatory burdens. Join Americans for Prosperity-PA’s grassroots activists in thanking Senator McCormick for leading from the front, and learn more about how we can unleash our energy prosperity at ProsperityIsPossible.com.
This is Emily Greene, State Director with Americans for Prosperity-PA.
